Despite being the quickest-to-succeed rookie I had ever trained, a year later Trader X now found himself having a string of sizable negative months which left him in a worrisome hole. All of his early success had led to complacency so that when the market changed, his struggle began. He didn’t have the mental game and resiliency yet to overcome obstacles like this, especially given his initial quick success.
It was time. I called Trader X into my office.
He knew what the talk was going to be about, head down and shoulders slumped. I laid it all out for him. It was emotional, it was painful. But I gave him a road map to get back on track and I relayed my confidence in him. Part of the road map was that I was going to again require him to work “Rookie Hours”. Rookie Hours were 8:30am-6pm; the bare minimum standard for new traders in our office to be working each day. I explained why this was necessary. He took the prescription in stride and without ego. He knew it was time to pay his dues again.
As we wrapped up our conversation he asked me:
Trader X: “How long are you requiring me to work Rookie Hours?”
I laughed and smiled at this. I guess I didn’t quite reach him yet.
Lance: “Trader X, what hours do you see me work each day?”
Trader X: “Every day you are in the office before us and leave after us.”
Lance: “Correct. Because to this day, after all my success and experience, I am still a Rookie. There is not an elite performer in the world who can rest back on their laurels. LeBron, Steph, Durant. They all work Rookie Hours still. Because to stay competitive, life demands us to constantly be learning and refining. Working Rookie Hours is not a punishment, it is a mindset. Elite performance in the markets or in life always requires Rookie Hours.”
Post Tags: life trading
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